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It’s been approximately 2 years since we’ve seen the Penguin algorithm first introduced by Google, and we’ve been waiting with baited breath since that time for a new update. Fortunately, Google has recently announced a new update with Penguin now operating in real time and as part of the core algorithm. Back on May 12, Google updated its mobile-friendly algorithm to benefit websites that were mobile-friendly on mobile search. In February, 2016, major changes were made to AdWords and ads appearing in the right-hand column were completely removed. A lot of commercial searches instead showed 4-ad blocks at the top of the search pages. As a result, there was quite a shakeup of competitive keywords CTR for organic and paid results. Possum Algorithm Update You’ve probably already heard about the Panda, the Hummingbird and the Penguin update, but there has been another update on the horizon and it’s called the Possum update. Experts gave the latest Google revision this name because some local business listings appear to be gone but in fact they’re just playing possum. Some businesses started to notice that their listings weren’t appearing and thought that they were gone. In fact, they were filtered. This appears to be the largest update in local listings since the Pigeon update in 2014. Businesses that are located outside the limits of the city are now seeing a rise in ranking. Before this update it was difficult for a business that was located outside the physical city to appear in the listings for that city. Even when the keywords included the name of the city, these listings had a very hard time ranking. Now that has changed and businesses close to a city but not in it can also see a rise in rank. Duplicate Results This algorithm also offers sophisticated filtering methods for duplicate results. Google now takes note of matching phone numbers, identical addresses and links heading back to the same website. If there is any type of ownership affiliation, even with different phone numbers, addresses and names, one of the sites may be filtered out. It won’t show up in the Local Finder but you are able to see the listings that have been filtered when zooming in on the map. For more information about the new updates and about Google algorithms and how they may be affecting your business, give Qode Media a call at 416-208-0157 or fill out our online...

Posted by admin on Sep 28, 2016 in Blog, Marketing | Comments Off on How to Remove a Fake Review on Google

Google reviews are becoming more and more popular, and people are looking at them when they search for products and services. Yelp is still more widespread and popular when it comes to reviews- but Google reviews are definitely being observed by viewers. They are prominently displayed in Google search results, so it makes sense that it is preferable to proudly display positive reviews. As the best SEO company & internet marketing Toronto, we at Qode Media realize the importance of fostering a positive image online, and negating unfair review practices. If you’re searching for a business on Google, the chances are high that you’ll see a rating of the businesses and Google review listings near the top of the search results. In general, these reviews are helpful for the consumers using the search engine- but defamatory and false reviews can negatively impact ratings. This is especially true when a business only has a few reviews. Remove Fake Reviews If you know the identity of the person that wrote the defamatory review, you can take legal action against them in the form of a lawsuit, or try to get things settled outside of court. In some cases you’ll need to subpoena Google to resolve the issue completely. In order to publish a review on Google the person must have a Google account. If somebody is trying to give your company a bad name with a defamatory or false review, the odds are high that the author of the review created a new user account with Google in order to get the review published. It’s also likely that the Google account was not registered with a real name, letting the reviewer stay “anonymous”. In many cases the registration information provided will be unreliable. In order to get the proper information as to the reviewer’s identity, you’ll need to ask Google for the IP address and log records that were used to first create the Google account or for the ISPs that show the subscriber information. In most cases the IP addresses provide enough information to identify the person that wrote the review. Google Removal When you can’t identify the writer of the review you can go straight to Google for relief. You can either reply to the review, or get a court order to have Google de-index the URLs. In order to get this court order, you’ll first need to get the court to declare that the statements are false. There are also other methods you can try to get the reviews removed by Google, but they aren’t guaranteed and at least one will usually require a court order to see success. Handling false reviews on Google can be difficult- but it can be done. It’s important to get these reviews handled when a business doesn’t have a lot of reviews or the defamatory ones are causing a lot of damage. Marketing your business on the Internet is difficult if false or defamatory reviews are hurting your rating. For all your digital marketing needs, come to the best SEO company & Internet marketing Toronto. Please contact Qode Media at 416-208-0157 today or visit our website at www.qodemedia.com for more...

Posted by admin on Sep 13, 2016 in Blog | Comments Off on How to Improve Your ECommerce Magento Store

When you’re creating an ecommerce business one of the best platforms to choose is Magento. This design offers an interface that’s completely user-friendly, a variety of Magento plugins and add-ons, easy installation, and much more. When you’re looking for a 100% shopping package that will compliment your products, Magento offers top-of-the-line features. Qode Media, the best SEO and Internet marketing company Toronto, can help you determine the best ecommerce platform for your business. When setting up an ecommerce site, the platform you choose should be easy to set up, and easy to maintain. As well, important security features must be in place on the user-friendly and easy-to-navigate website. When your site is easy to use and operate, viewers are a lot more likely to buy what you are offering. If a potential customer gets frustrated while navigating the site, they are more likely to click off your ecommerce store and head to another. How to Improve Your ECommerce Magento Store If your ecommerce store isn’t ranking high in the search engines, you’ll need to make sure that your URLS are search engine-friendly. This will involve configuring the URLs in the administration area and turning on the web server rewrites. If the proper SEO-friendly URLs aren’t showing, Google will have a harder time distinguishing what you’re selling on each page. In some cases, Magento can load slowly, and this is one of the best ways to lose customers. By enabling the “Compilation” function you’ll be able to see increased speeds of 25% to 50%. The pages will load faster and you’ll be able to retain more customers. Some store owners don’t want the functionality of comparing products to show up on the pages since it can confuse a buyer that has already ready can make a purchase. This function can be taken off the page by editing some of the code and then flushing the Magento cache from the admin area. If you don’t already have a blog set up on your Magento site, you should consider adding one. This is the best way to continually add optimized and relevant content to your website. It adds another aspect to your ecommerce store and Google appreciates it. Extensions are available that will allow you to easily set up a blog and have it running quickly. Magento offers a built-in contact form but you can also add a form to any page by changing the code through the administrator area. This gives potential customers the chance to ask questions about certain items so that they feel they can make an informed buying decision. By opening up the fields of communication on your Magento site you’ll see an abundance of new customers. If you’re having any problems operating your Magento store, want to improve it or need to get one up and running, please contact Qode Media, the best SEO & Internet marketing company Toronto, at 416-208-0157 or schedule a free consultation using our online...

Posted by admin on Sep 8, 2016 in Blog, Marketing | Comments Off on How Remarketing Can Benefit Your Business

It’s a known fact in the advertising world that many customers will need to see the same ad over and over again before making a final decision to purchase. Qode Media, the best SEO company & internet marketing Toronto, has compiled an overview of the remarketing strategy. Remarketing allows you to show your ad a number of times to the same viewer to increase its effectiveness. Once the viewer has seen a particular ad more than once they are more likely to purchase the product or service. Remarketing gives you the chance to display your ads to viewers that have already left your website. When your website service or product pages are tagged with certain codes, visitors will get a cookie the next time they go to that page. This cookie shows that the viewer has some interest in the service or product that you are offering. Once a visitor has moved on from your site you’ll be able to connect with him again through the use of remarketing. You’ll be using this advertising method to reach out to potential customers that have already shown an interest in your site. By showing your ad to these viewers, it brings them closer to making an informed purchasing decision. All of your retargeted ads bring you that much closer to final sales. This mode of advertising is quite inexpensive, which is another benefit! You’ll pay a fraction of the cost when compared to pay per click advertising and you’ll know that every click on a banner is by a viewer that has already been classified as being part of your target market. Pay per click ads are great way to test out any SEO campaigns that you’ll be using later. You’ll be able to see what you can expect from keywords in terms of ROI. Once you have completed this testing you’ll be able to use the keywords generating the most traffic on your website. As well, you’ll be able to discover the keywords that ultimately convert into solid leads. By including these organic keywords on your website you’ll be able to take advantage of the double exposure gained by having both your site and your ad on the search engines. When using this strategy you’ll also be branding your company. Viewers will be exposed constantly to your brand, which will ultimately lead to more conversions. As well, it won’t take as many ads to convince viewers to buy when you have used successful branding techniques. You can also send out exclusive offers to these targeted potential customers through remarketed ads. You’ll be able to make special offers through Google retargeting, which may be enough to make viewers hit the “Buy” button. For more information about remarketing, please contact Qode Media, the best SEO company and Internet marketing Toronto, today at 416-208-0157. If you’re not using retargeting methods yet in your advertising campaigns, you could be leaving money on the...

Posted by admin on Aug 31, 2016 in Blog, SEO | Comments Off on How to Raise the Bar on Your Content Marketing

In order to see the best return on your digital marketing efforts, you’ll want to employ the most effective content. Qode Media is the best SEO company & internet marketing Toronto, and we have some tips on how to leverage content marketing to drive results: Content Promotion You have put great content on your site that doesn’t mean that you’ll automatically attract visitors. Your content needs to be promoted through social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, on blogs and in the newsletters you send out. Lighthearted Content Your content doesn’t always have to be serious. Readers will enjoy reading some lighthearted and fun material that you’ve put together. After a long day at the office most people find it refreshing to read something uplifting. A variety of different content types will keep your readers motivated to look for more of what you have to offer. Analyzing the Competition It’s always a good idea to look at what your competition is doing – especially when it’s successful. When you see what they are doing right and doing wrong, you’ll know what needs to be done and what should be avoided. Their strengths and weaknesses can turn out to be a gold mine for your content marketing campaigns. SEO Results SEO should always play an important role in the content you are developing. No matter how great your content may be, if it isn’t optimized with your keywords, it will be hard to see any results. Have a Game Plan in Mind When you have a specific strategy that you’re working with it’s easy to stick to the plan and fine tune it accordingly. You’ll need to know where most of your energy should be directed with your campaigns and the results should be monitored regularly. When they are analyzed on a regular basis you’ll know exactly where the best results are coming from and which areas aren’t performing as well as expected. Content marketing involves a lot of perseverance. You should never expect overnight results but if you keep with it you will see incredible changes taking place over time. As you build up more followers your ROI will increase accordingly with the proper marketing techniques. If you need help with your content marketing call 416-208-0157 today and get a free consultation from the best SEO company in...

Posted by admin on Aug 25, 2016 in Blog, SEO | Comments Off on SEO Results – Can They Be Guaranteed?

If you’re expecting guaranteed ranking results from an SEO company you may be disappointed. Even the top consultants in the field avoid providing guaranteed results for SEO. It’s important for you to understand why results shouldn’t be guaranteed and why they may very well be unrealistic. When you see a company that’s promising you the moon as a promise and a guarantee you’ll know why to run. Fluctuating Rankings Ranking are never the same in Google and they fluctuate depending on who is performing the search and the location where the search is taking place. For example, if a person living in Toronto is searching for a roofer and types in “Toronto roofing” he’ll end up with different results than a person searching for the same keywords from a New York location. As well, 2 people searching for the same keywords from a Toronto location could see differing rankings due to personal results from Google. If an SEO company promises top of the page rankings on page one at all times, it simply can’t happen. Performance vs. Rankings Ranking is not the best indicator regarding a site’s overall performance. Just because a website has high rankings it does not mean that this site is doing well overall. The site needs to generate traffic and conversions, and a high ranking alone does not guarantee high numbers in these areas. A lot of the search volume will come from “low-hanging fruit” keywords that are being missed by other similar companies. Long-Term Results Natural and organic SEO practices are designed for long-term solutions, versus quick fixes that simply can’t happen. Search engines are always changing their algorithms and what works in terms of SEO strategies today, may not work tomorrow. Magical one-off solutions are unrealistic in today’s market. The better and only way to play the game is to strengthen and add value to a website in order to see viable results that will last. Search Engines Warn against Guarantees According to Google’s own guidelines, nobody can guarantee a number one Google ranking. Any marketing company that makes these types of claims should not be used by businesses that want to see real results and businesses should shy away from any marketing agency that claims to have any type of special relationship with a search engine. SEO companies simply don’t have any control over Google or any other search engine. While it is entirely possible that an SEO company can bring a business into the top results, it cannot be guaranteed. The best possible scenario for any website is to have it user-friendly, search engine-friendly and ready to convert visitors into customers. By using proven techniques such as making sure that links, titles and keywords are used in their optimal proportion the site will become search engine- friendly. A fast loading site that is easy to navigate will be user-friendly and proper sales techniques will convert site users into paying customers. Partner with Qode Media, the best SEO company & Internet marketing Toronto! We are committed to providing the services that your website needs the most to strengthen your business. When you can see tangible results you’ll know that we have done our job well and in the end it’s always the results that count. Call us today at 416-208-0157 or visit...

Posted by admin on Aug 11, 2016 in Blog | Comments Off on Google Announces an Update of Their “My Business Insights” Feature

An announcement was made by Google that their feature called Google My Business Insights is being updated, which is great news for businesses that are analyzing their local listings. Now site owners can find out exactly how people are finding their local listings on Google and how users are interacting with them. The new analytics provide a breakdown showing the amount of people that are viewing your listings through the use of Google Maps or Google Search. When you look at the Insights section you’ll see a graph in blue and green that shows you the total amount of views along with the specific number of views coming from the Maps and Search functions. As well, you’ll find out whether users have found your listing through a search or a direct click. When a viewer has come across your business address or name by searching for it specifically this is called “Direct”. When a person finds a listing through a search for a service, product or category it’s called a “Discovery”. You’ll see how customers are searching for your business on a user-friendly chart that illustrates in blue and green how many users are finding your listing through a “Discovery” or a “Direct” method. Along with the upgrade comes the removal from the dashboard of the Google+ statistics. This is now coming into effect so be on the watch for it. These new analytics can be used to determine the type of listings that need to be further addressed for better ROI results. Find out more about these updates and how they can help your business by calling Qode Media at 416-208-0157...

Posted by admin on Aug 3, 2016 in Blog | Comments Off on What are “Local Guides”? Your SEO Toronto Experts Qode Media have the answer!

Google has launched a new service called “Local Guides”. It’s a new incentive-based program that encourages users to review businesses on Google. Testimonials are a critical part of operating a business – word of mouth can allow your company to flourish, or may have very adverse effects. Before print and digital marketing took over, businesses relied on the ambassadors of their clientele to spread the message of their brand. This simply translated to a positive review in conversation, or perhaps a suggestion of your service or brand to a friend or family member. As technology advanced, the way that people can vouch for businesses has changed dramatically, and the incentive to do so has changed as well. Where a local family restaurant may have relied heavily on good testimonials to bring locals into their shop, the internet has created a way to organize that information in a different format. Now, at the click of a button you can search for “Best Ramen in Toronto” and have a list of locations to choose from, including reviews from each one. The businesses that show up likely have good SEO practices (or a great Toronto SEO company!) So, how does a customer choose which Ramen restaurant to go to? Customers will look for other reviews – was the food tasty? Were the portion sizes adequate? Was the wait-time standard? Were the servers courteous and friendly? As a business, having good reviews is absolutely imperative, because customers trust human experiences more than they trust marketing. This is simply because word of mouth is an older, more reliable form of advocacy. So, how do you get customers to review your Google + page? In the past, the only incentive that could be provided would be from the business itself – some companies will offer exclusive discounts in exchange for a 5 star review on Google. Now, Google has created their own incentive for users to contribute: Local Guides. It works like this: users are prompted to create an account once they leave a review for a business on Google. The benefits are laid out in (what appears to be) a Pokemon-go, old-school nintendo themed interface. Users have a quasi HP bar that keeps track of progress. Once a user levels up, more benefits are unlocked. At sign-up, the incentives are limited to inclusion in the Local Guides newsletter, to join Google hosted Hangouts and Workshops, and to be eligible to enter in Local guides contests. It’s not super impressive when you begin, but as you level up, perks include free Google Drive storage space and the potential to test Google products and features before they hit the market. For all of your SEO Toronto needs, contact Qode Media today. We can get you started with an SEO package, get you ranked on Google Maps (places), complete a website redesign, and more! We are your digital marketing specialists, and a certified Google...

Do you ever browse a website and leave because the page is taking too long to load? We’ve all experienced this feeling. For a user it’s simply irritating, but as a business owner it can seriously impact your sales and conversion rate. Improving your website’s speed can differentiate you from your competition, build customer loyalty and increase site traffic. Differentiate Yourself From the Competition A site that works efficiently can do more than just raise your rank on Google, Bing or Yahoo. Sites that load very quickly are more likely to have a better pagerank and increased traffic. To make sure your site is as efficient as possible, there are two things you must do. First, select a good hosting provider, as they will play a large impact on the speed of your website. Second, choose a web design company that knows how to effectively optimize images for web. The higher your traffic, the more differentiated you can be from your competition. Good traffic on a website also creates a better conversion tunnel. This means more sales! Building Customer Loyalty You can have a great social media presence, great reviews and an excellent product but if the user experience is not up to par, your audience will go to your competitor. Making sure that your website is easy to navigate is important so that customers can find your product. Avoid adding too much content to your site or it will add to each page’s loading time. Designing your site with the customer in mind allows you to steer users toward a purchase. How to Check Site Performance The average business owner doesn’t have a digital marketing background, so it can be difficult to design a site based on good SEO standards. One way to find the problem areas on your site is to get it looked at by a peer, or professionally analyzed. Qode Media offers free website analysis to help your site improve productivity. To improve your website performance and increase your business’ sales, consider partnering with Qode Media, the best Toronto SEO company the GTA has to offer. Our experienced graphic designers, account managers, coders and Google Adwords specialists understand how to target your audience. For more information about internet marketing in Toronto please fill out our convenient online form or contact us at 416-208-0157....

Utilizing the valuable Google Adwords tool can help drive organic traffic to your website, resulting in more users and conversions. There are so many reasons why digital marketers love using this tool. Here are a few of our favourite reasons to use the service. Geotargeting Google AdWords is a great tool for sharing your brand and spreading the word about your business- whether it’s local or a large corporation. The reason why this tool is a favourite for online marketers is because it allows you to target the location in which you want to show your ad. This is extremely beneficial because it allows you to keep your campaign focused towards local potential clients. Reporting Tool It is very important to understand what keywords motivate your customers and which words don’t. This is why many companies come up with different versions of advertisements to test and see which ones will drive the most results. Google Adwords has a built in report tool that allows you to see which words are resonating better with your target audience, and driving traffic back to your site. Budgeting The great thing about this marketing method is that you can decide how much you want to invest or bid on each search engine word or term. Furthermore, when you advertise with Google Adwords your ad may be shown many times, but the best part is that you only have to pay for ads that have been clicked on! This means that you are paying for customers that will be primed for the conversion process. For help managing your brand’s online presence, consider giving Qode Media, the best SEO and internet marketing company in Toronto, a call! We specialize in digital marketing and web design. Our team of experts have valuable experience with Google Adwords, ethical backlinking, graphic design, social media, and more! For a free website analysis or to learn more about our low cost toronto seo services contact us at...